Physical rehabilitation device



1 Jan. 14, 1958 w. H. BERGER ETAL' PHYSICAL REHABILITATION DEVICE Filed Nov. 12, 1954 INVENTORS WILLIAM H. BERGER LOUIS KOSOVER PHYSIGAL' REHABILITATION 'DEVICE "William Harold Berger and Louis Kosover, Chicago, Ill. akppli'c'ation November 1 2, 1954, SerialNo.' 468,331 4Cla'ims. cuss-"22 This invention relates 1 to a physical "rehabilitation dewice and ttnore particularly to a physical rehabilitation device -for-use in assisting a patient in ambulation.

A patient-that is being a's'sisted in: ambulatien-.=i's one \th'at is,inefiectylearnin g to walk, or is retraining or reconditioning the muscles 'usedin' walking. The patient may-have: been bedridden because of a severe accident which has impaired his ability to walk 'or may 'be'recovering= from"a muscle crippling disease, such as polio. The physical rehabilitation of the Epatient is necessary to cause 'thetpatientto-learn to use his available'muscl'e.power, -or -to--dev'elop, or redevelop, the strength in the -muscles which-are used by him during ambulation.

The -useof personnel for. supporting a. patient during such :a rehabilitation period maybe "dispensed-with in many cases by providing a meehanism by means of-which Ahmgreatepportion ofthe weight of thetpatient is supr.ported while the patients -legs are substantially-free of loadso that he may direct them as best he can at his will during "the rehabilitation program. "Such a support mechanism eliminates the necessity of utilizing personnel that are' used wholely for the mechanical funetion or supporting 'the patients weight, and at 'thesame time use --et-suha'sup'port mechanism insures peace of "mind in the patient in the knowledge that he will 'no't 'fall.

Unfo'rtuna'tely, the type of equipment'that has "been use heretofore in-such-a'physical rehabilitation prog am s'si'sting apatient in ambulation israthergexpensive and is a permanent type of installationgenerally requiring the mounting of a structural member'ron' the.ceiling w oi :the' rehabilitation area from whence a :patie'ntsuppOrting sling is suspended. It would bedesirableto; provide apparatus-useful for physical rehabilitation-of the-type described above, which apparatuswould-be muchless expensive than that heretofore used and whichnee d not bea permanent installation.

Thus, it is one object of this 'inventiom'to'provide a "novelstructure which is'useful in ajphy sicalrehabilitaprogram of assistingl a patient in ambulation. Another object of this invention i'sto provide -a'-structure which may be used in a program of assisting a pa- 'fiB'fit ih ambulation, which Structure iS CHEi aotriZd by its simplicity and inexpensiveness,i and which structure may be "easily assembled upon .pre-existing structures, thereby providing a non-permanent ='installation thatr'nay 1 be'storedaway when not in use.

Most physical rehabilitation centers have certainbasic equipment, of which probably one of the mostcommon pieces of equipment is a pair of "spaced parallel bars mounted on the floor. It is one of 'the concepts of this invention to provide an apparatus which may be readily 'atttlcz'hedto and detached from said parallel bars, which apparatus provides anoverhead type support having a body-supporting sling suspended therefrom to provide an appa ratus-for assisting in the physical rehabilitation 'of patients in ambulation.

Since the type of equipment contemplated is tohe mererly an-adjunct to basic physical rehabilitation equiprnent,

United States Patent l ends by said arches 22 and 24.

2,819,755 -Patented Jan. 14, 1958 it is contemplated that the overhead supportequipm'ent 'be readily removablefrom the parallel bars'sothat" the parallel bars may be used for those pu'rposesfor which they were originally intended. Accordingly, it isdesir- =able thatthe parallel bars not be mutilated by the mountingof the additional equipment-thereon.

Thus, it is another object of this invention to provide a-nov'el connector for use in attaching additional equipc'ment to parallel bars, which connector provides'for ade- "quate connection to'the parallel bars without mutilation "thereof.

A further object ofthis invention is to provide novel physical rehabilitation-equipment and novelco'nnectors therefor Which'are characterizedby their simplicity" and inexpensivene'ss of construction, and "by I their efficiency of operation.

Further objects and advantages of this invention'will become :apparent as the fo'llowingdescription proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize"this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the'claims annexed to and'forming part of 'thisspecification.

-A preferred embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure .1 is a perspective view of the physical rehabilitation device of this invention showing its use in assisting a patient in ambulation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the mounting for the harness on the overhead support bar.

- Figure?! is an enlargedvi'ewof one type of connector gsed betweena. supporting ar'ehmembe'r anda'parallel ar.

Figure "4 is an enlarged view of another type of connector used between the overhead supportb'ar and a supporting arch. member.

Figure 5 is across-section view taken on line 5- 5 "of t Figure. 3.

Referring now.to-the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a pair -of:elongated spaced parallel'barsdlland =12 which-are supported at their ends by posts 14 and16. The posts Hand 16 may be appropriately secured to a floor by 'meansxof adapters 18 and bolts" 2' 0, or thellike, thus providing a rigid'mo-unting fo-r the parallel bars. "The bars 1t) and 12 are mounted at such a height that when a patient is standing on the floorb'etween the bars, as shown in- Figure 1, the bars meat a convenient height to "be grasped by the patient to aid in supporting the patient. The most convenient height of the bars 10 and litter assisting in the support of a patient is located at a level between the knees and the hips of the patient when the patient is standing substantially erect.

Mounted on the parallel ba-rs'lltl and 12 for assisting the physical rehabilitation of the patient is a'superstructure which includes a pair of archesZZ and 24, each'of r-which bridges the'space between the bars 10 and 12, and alongitudinal support bar26-which is supported at its Each arch 22 and 24 is in the 'form of an inverted U and the legs of the U are connected to the bars 10 and .lz'adjacent the ends thereof by an adapter generally indicated at 28. The longitudinal support bar 26 is positioned substantially parallel to the bars 10 and 12 and is located substantially centrally between said parallel bars 10 and'l2, and is additionally located at a level above the height of a patient standing erect on the floor between said parallel bars. The support bat-"Z6 is connected 'to the arches 22 and 24 by means of adapters, or connectors,

generally indicated at 30.

"Mounted on the longitudinal support bar 26 for longitudinal movement therealong between the ends of bar v26 is a trolley 32which has a patient supporting harness 34 suspended therefrom. The tro'lley"32 provides a "roller connection :to -the .rsupport bar 26 by means "of a plurality of roller balls 36 carried on a generally an nular frame 38. The frame 38 is shaped to define a pair of straight axle portions 49 for having the balls 36 rotate thereon. The curved portions of the frame 38 adjacent axles 40 serve to restrain the balls in position on their axles. The balls, or rollers, 36 are thus adapted to engage the cylindrical support bar 26 at circumferentially spaced points 42 and 44 on said bar 26 and this arrangement serves to accommodate and provide for lateral forces that may be imposed upon the trolley 32.

A pivot pin connection 46 and support cable 47 is provided between the trolley 32 and the harness 34. The supporting harness may, for example, include a pair of support slings 48, adapted for supporting the patient in the arm pits or under the shoulders, which are appropriately connected by a frame means, or interconnecting means, 50 to the trolley 32 through the cable 47 and pivot pin connection 46. This arrangement permits great freedom of movement to the patient while providing ample support.

The adapter 28 for securing the ends of the arches to the parallel bars 10 and 12 are particularly designed for mounting on said parallel bars so as to achieve a rigid connection without mutilating the parallel bars. Thus,

the superstructure may be removed when desired, leaving the parallel bars in their original The adapter 28 comprises a pair of oppositely facing complementary members 52 and 52'. Corresponding members on said pair of complementary members are differentiated by the prime of the reference numerals applied thereto. Each member 52 is shaped to define a pair of elongated, substantially semi-cylindrical saddles 56 and 58 which are positioned transverse to each other. The saddle axes of each member 52 are located at the unmutilated condition.

centers of curvature of said saddles, and said axes intersect and define a plane within which lie the sides of member 52 against which the complementary member 52 of said adapter is adapted to be positioned.

Each of the complementary members 52 is shaped to form inner and outer flanges which extend oppositely respectively from the inner and outer edges of the saddles and which lie substantially in said plane defined by said axes of the saddles. For example, saddle 56 has associated therewith inner flange 60 and outer flange 62; and saddle 53 has associated therewith inner flange 64 and outer flange 66.

The pair of complementary members 52 and 52' are hinged together at 68, about an axis parallel to said axis of saddle 56, and along the outermost edge of flanges 62 and 62'. Each of the other pairs of flanges 60 and 69', 64 and 64, and 66 and 66, are formed with recesses 70 therein which are adapted to be aligned when the complementary members 52 and 52 are in opposite facing relation as shown in Figure 5.

The adapter 28 carries means for clamping the complementary members 52 and 52 together for providing a secure attachment between the parallel bars and the arches of the superstructure. These means include threaded bolts 72 each of which carries a crosspin 74 at one end, a manually operable wing nut 76 at the other end, and a washer adapted to bear against member 52'. The cross-pin 74 is journaled for pivoting by means of strips 78 which are mounted on member 52 and which cooperate therewith to define recesses for receiving the ends of crosspin 74. The strips 73 are positioned on opposite sides of each recess 76 The bolt 72 with wing nut 76 thereon is pivotable about the axis of cross-pin 74 and may be swung so that the shank of bolt 72 extends through a pair of aligned recesses 70. Then, by tightening up the wing nuts 76, said Wing nuts 76 operate through washer 75 to cause the segments oi the adapter to be clamped together along the longitudinal edges of the saddles 56 and 53, thereby providing a readily manipulatable and excellent clamping means.

it will be seen that cylindrical saddle 56, which is adapt- 4 ed to receive therein a parallel bar 10 or 12, extends across the projection of the other cylindrical saddle 58, thereby forming one through saddle, 56, in the connector 28.

Figure 4 illustrates the type of connector used for connecting the long support bar 26 to an arch. The support bar is connected to the arches 22 and 24 at the apices thereof. While the arches 22 and 24 each may be formed of a single tubular member appropriately shaped, in the construction shown in Figure 4, each arch is formed of two complementary arch segments a and b which are joined together and with the end of the support bar 26 by the single connector 30. The through saddle 56 of the adapter 30 receives therein the ends of the arch segments 22a and 22b.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A mechanism for assisting in the physical rehabilitation of the ambulation of a patient, comprising, in combination, a pair of spaced elongated parallel bars mounted on a supporting base at a level between the knees and the hips of a patient who is standing substantially erect on said base between said bars with his arms hanging downwardly, said bars adapted to be grasped by said patient for assistance in ambulation; a removable superstructure connected to said spaced parallel bars, said superstructure including a longitudinal support bar positioned substantially parallel to said parallel bars and substantially centrally between said bars, and at a level above the height of a patient standing erect on said base; a patient supporting harness means suspended from said longitudinal support bar and mounted thereon for movement therealong; and hinged segmental connector means for selectively securing the superstructure to said parallel bars without mutilating said parallel bars.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 including a roller connection between said harness means and said longitudinal support bar wherein said roller connection comprises a plurality of rollers engaging said support bar at circumferentially spaced points on said bar.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said removable superstructure includes a pair of arches, each of said arches being formed of two arch segments adapted to be joined together at the apex of the arch, said longitudinal support bar being adapted to be secured to the apices of said arches, and selectively operable connector means at each arch apex joining together the pair of arch segments and the longitudinal support bar, thereby providing a device that may be readily selectively assembled or disassembled.

4. A mechanism for assisting in the physical rehabilitation of the ambulation of a patient, comprising, in combination, a support structure including a pair of spaced elongated parallel bars mounted on a supporting base at a level between the knees and the hips of a patient who is standing substantially erect on said base between said bars with his arms hanging downwardly, said bars adapted to be grasped by said patient for assistance in ambulation; a removable superstructure connected to said support structure, said superstructure including a longitudinal support bar positioned substantially parallel to said parallel bars and substantially centrally between said bars, and at a level above the height of a patientstanding erect on said base; a patient supporting harness means suspended from said longitudinal support bar and mounted thereon for movement therealong; and hinged segmental connector means 5 for selectively securing the superstructure to said support 1,642,184 structure without mutilating said support structure. 1,832,584

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 397,419 Day Feb. 5, 1889 1,264,227 Uhl Apr. so, 1918 6 Urso Sept. 13, 1927 Rogers, I r Nov. 17, 1931 Duke Apr. 24, 1945 Abdullah Apr. 20. 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1902 

